Butler Visits Valparaiso For Hoosier Helmet Tilt

Oct 27, 2010

TROPHY GAME: Butler will be trying for a
turnaround in the Pioneer Football League when it visits state
rival Valparaiso for the annual Hoosier Helmet game on Saturday,
Oct. 30. The trophy game at Valparaiso’s Brown Field is
scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT, 2 p.m. in Indianapolis). The
defending champion Bulldogs have dropped back-to-back league games,
including a 21-20 decision at home to Morehead State last weekend,
and enter the final three weeks of the regular season with a 1-4
PFL record. Butler is 3-5 on the season, including a 2-2 mark
on the road. Valparaiso is 0-5 in PFL action and looking for
its first win in eight overall contests this season. The
Crusaders dropped a 30-10 decision at San Diego last weekend.
Butler has two straight wins over the Crusaders, and the Bulldogs
have taken six of the last 10 meetings with their long-standing
Indiana opponent.

Butler is 15-14 all-time in games played at
Valparaiso.

HOOSIER HELMET: The Hoosier Helmet Trophy
was added to the long-standing Butler-Valparaiso football series in
2006. The white helmet on a wooden base sports a Valparaiso
logo on one side and a Butler logo on the other and is presented to
the winner of the annual meeting after the game. The Bulldogs
have captured the helmet in three of the four previous trophy
games, including the past two.

FINAL DECISION: Butler drove 66 yards in 11
plays and scored on a 29-yard field goal by junior David Lang with
less than a minute remaining to take a 20-18 lead over Morehead
State. But the visiting Eagles only needed 48 seconds to
regain the lead and ultimately decide the outcome. Morehead
State quarterback Zach Lewis completed four passes for 55 yards and
marched the Eagles to the Butler six-yard line on the decisive
final-minute drive. Kicker Rainer Duzan then finished the
march with a 23-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining to give
Morehead State the one-point, come-from-behind victory. Both
teams had two touchdowns and two field goals in the game, but a
third-quarter safety by the Eagles spelled the
difference. CAREER DAY: Sophomore Jordan
Ridley turned in the best individual defensive performance
by a Butler player this season in the Bulldogs game against
Morehead State. He finished with a career-high 17 tackles,
including eight solo stops, and he had four tackles for loss,
including a pair of quarterback sacks. The Butler linebacker
also came up with an acrobatic pass interception when he leaped to
tip a pass, spun in the air and made a diving catch before hitting
the ground. His pass theft late in the third quarter led to a
go-ahead touchdown by the Bulldogs early in the final period.
Ridley’s 17 stops against the Eagles matched the most by a
PFL player in a league game this year.

Jordan Ridley ranks seventh in the NCAA Division I FCS in
tackles.

HANDS DOWN: Junior wide receiver Zach
Watkins fueled Butler’s passing attack against Morehead State
with eight receptions for a season-high 118 yards. He had a
season-long, 45-yard catch in the game to set up an early Butler
scoring opportunity, and he later made a high-flying grab in the
end zone, which was narrowly ruled out. It was the second
straight year that Watkins turned in a prime time performance
against Morehead State. A year ago, the first team All-PFL
end caught 13 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns to help lead
the Bulldogs to a 28-21 overtime victory over the Eagles.

Zach Watkins ranks third in the PFL in receptions per game
(5.4).

FEELING DEFENSIVE: Despite giving up 400
yards in the loss to Morehead State, Butler continues to lead the
PFL in both total defense (317.5) and pass defense (164.5).
The Bulldogs stand third in the league in pass efficiency defense
(120.4) and fourth in scoring defense (22.1). On the national
front, Butler ranks 24th in pass defense and 28th in total defense.

DEEP KICK: Junior David Lang recorded a
career-long, 45-yard field goal against Morehead State. He
also had a 29-yard field goal in the contest. Lang, who now
has nine field goals on the season, is closing in on the Butler
single season record for field goals (11), shared by John Jenkins
(1987) and Tim Witmer (1990). The former Lowell High School
kicker leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 39 points.

David Lang leads the PFL in field goals.

MOVING UP: Junior quarterback Andrew Huck
passed for 180 yards (15-31-0) against Morehead State and moved
into seventh place on Butler’s all-time passing list.
Huck, who has thrown for 3,736 yards during his Butler career, is
54 yards behind Jason Stahl (3,790,1992-94) in the No. 6 position
on Butler’s all-time list.

BULLDOG BITS:

•Sophomore linebacker Jordan Ridley continues to lead the
PFL in tackles (11.8). He tops the circuit in assists (61)
and is tied for third in solo tackles (34).

•Junior running back Ryan Hitchcock scored his first 2010
touchdown on a 10-yard run in the third quarter against Morehead
State. Hitchcock, Butler’s third-leading rusher a year
ago, has 11 career touchdowns, including two against Valparaiso
last year.

•Linebacker Nick Caldicott recorded a season-high 10 tackles
against Morehead State. The total was one off his
career-high, set against Davidson last year.

•Sophomore Michael Wilson, who averaged 40.2 yards on five
punts against Morehead State, ranks third in the PFL and 25th in
the NCAA Division I (FCS) in punting (40.8). He leads the PFL
in punts dropped inside the 20-yard line (13).

•Freshman Trae Heeter averaged 24.3 yards on three kickoff
returns against Morehead State. The first-year back ranks
fourth in the PFL in kick return average (21.8).

•Wide receiver Zach Watkins moved into ninth place on
Butler’s all-time list for pass receiving yards with his
performance against Morehead State. Watkins has racked up
1,682 yards in 28 career games. He needs 20 yards to catch
Mike Chrobot (1,702, 1975-78) in the No. 8 position.

•Zach Watkins has moved into second place on Butler’s
all-time list for receptions with 149 career catches.
Butler’s all-time record of 192 receptions is held by
Watkins’ former teammate, Dan Bohrer (2006-09).

•Juniors Jordan Koopman and Zach Watkins are tied for seventh
in the PFL in receiving yards per game (54.4). Koopman ranks
fourth in the league in receptions per game (5.0), one spot behind
Watkins (5.4).

•Senior Tadd Dombart ranks sixth in the PFL in punt return
average (6.1).

•Senior offensive tackle Mike Staniewicz has started 31
consecutive games and 41 of 42 games during his Butler career.

•Butler starting safety Mark Giacomantonio (knee) and senior
captain Donnie Gilmore (knee) continue to be sidelined with
injuries. Gilmore, who had started 37 consecutive games on
the offensive line for Butler, was injured in the Taylor game.